Snowball by Gregory Bastianelli

Author:Gregory Bastianelli
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Flame Tree Press
Published: 2019-12-16T14:40:29+00:00

Interlude

Silent Night

The transient huddled beneath the stone arched bridge knowing no matter how much junk he shot up, there would be no comfort from the cold dank night, no sleep before the break of dawn. He had followed the path to the bridge guided by the trail of the beast whose tracks lay before him. The man (if he could still be considered a man) was weary but wired at the same time. His insides felt like a tug-of-war was trying to rip his body apart.

There was no way to tell when the beast had last come this way. The transient huddled against the cold stone surface as sleet fell beyond both sides of the bridge. He watched the icy pellets, mesmerized by the increase in their rhythm as they began in a slow drizzle before intensifying into a deluge.

But he was dry for now beneath the bridge. And he was away from the others, especially the one who cast him out. How many days had he wandered? Time had no meaning. Just the fix, which was all that had mattered. Because he knew what it would take to face the beast. He couldn’t do it on his own. That was a sign of his cowardice. But he had found some courage in the needle and he tasted grit in his mouth.

A cry in the night signaled his destiny. It was coming. Far off in the distance, and it was heading this way, just as he knew it would, just like it always did. Now he would be ready for it. He rose from his spot, discarding his satchel with his meager belongings. This was what his life added up to, a sad sack indeed. He wouldn’t need it any longer. Not where he was going.

And where was that? Someplace better than this. Anywhere but this.

The beast roared.

He stood in its tracks, ready to take it on. Time to get it off his back.

I am not afraid, he told himself, for I have the power within me.

The beast bore down, charging toward him. It blared its roar.

Did it see him? Did it know he was waiting for it? Did it even care?

The transient held his ground, determined to take on the beast full force.

But his body began to tremble. He thought he had taken enough to not make him feel, but there was never enough. There was always a need for another. And another.

And now he wasn’t sure if he was ready for the beast. Maybe he wasn’t strong enough. The beast roared again, sparks spewing from its mouth as it screamed, its cyclopean eye bearing down on him. Too late to move, he thought. His legs strained to hold him in place. But they wouldn’t work to run. He was at the end of the line and the beast looked hungry.

It screamed, sparks blew out as it exhaled its fetid breath.

He cried out at the last second, knowing he was no match for the beast, before the hulking creature bore down on him and swallowed him whole.

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